Dooley Noted, one of Emory’s co-ed a cappella groups, sang its way to third place at the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella (ICCA) Regional South Quarterfinals on Feb. 5. In addition, Goizueta Business School senior and Dooley Noted Music Director Colin Egan won the award for Outstanding Arrangement for Cee Lo Green’s “Forget You.”

Nine a cappella groups from the Southeast region, including Emory’s Aural Pleasure, competed at the ICCA, held at the University of Georgia in Athens. Dooley Noted’s a cappella set consisted of “Peace of Mind” by Boston, sung by Dooley Noted President and College senior Farish Jerman; Adele’s version of “Many Shades of Black” by soloist and Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing junior Arielle Hayden; and “Forget You,” sung by Egan.

“We literally learned all of these songs since we got back this semester, which was a pretty epic undertaking,” Jerman said.

Egan added that the group chose to do three brand new songs, despite having only three weeks to arrange and practice.

“It was really gratifying to have all that work pay off,” Egan said. “We were really proud that us learning those three songs got us third.”

The group rehearsed four to five nights a week for three weeks before the concert, much more frequently compared to the twice a week they typically spend, rehearsing according to Jerman.

“We definitely prepared a lot more this year, knowing how strong the competition was going to be,” Jerman said. Vanderbilt’s Melodores won first place, followed by University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Loreleis in second place.

“To be in the top three for this region with them is just an unbelievable honor,” Jerman said. “Definitely in the future, we’d love to snag that first or second place finally.”

Egan, recipient of the Outstanding Arrangement award, has been arranging for Dooley Noted since his freshman year.

“He’s done amazing arrangements for us,” Jerman said. “His first arrangement was ‘Grace Kelly,’ which has become one of Dooley Noted’s most notable songs, no pun intended.”

Egan said he did not expect to win the award but that he appreciated being recognized for his work outside of rehearsal. “It was a really cool award to get,” Egan said. “It’s just good to be recognized for the arrangements because that goes overlooked sometimes in a cappella.”

Residence Hall Director and graduated member of Dooley Noted, Joe Reiff won Outstanding Arrangement for Michael Buble’s “Feeling Good” last year, so Egan’s award marked the first time that one group received the award two years in a row.

The other awards are for Outstanding Choreography, Soloist and Percussion (for beatboxing). Dooley Noted placed third at the ICCA last year too, but they lost six seniors to graduation last May, making a repeat performance that much more difficult. Five new members competed with the eight veteran members of the group at this year’s competition.

“It was definitely nerve-wracking,” Hayden, a new member and soloist, said of her first performance at the ICCA. “I definitely enjoyed the experience. It was kind of a rush overall, especially seeing the other competitors.”

Jerman said the singers appreciated knowing more about the event this year, as last year was their first time competing in ICCA, especially about the importance of their dance moves, which are choreographed by Egan.

“They wanted the choreography to be more contained and less spread out,” she said. “We worked that in this year to our set.”

Both Egan and Jerman emphasized the importance of coming together as a group for this competition.

“Beyond the prize that we have and being able to represent Emory, it’s just a really great bonding experience,” Jerman said.

— Contact Christina White.